what's up sweetie - nana pat

We're talkin' bout my girl, my girl, my girl! Nana Pat (aka Adelaide, Addie, Sweetie) is the queen of all things sweet; Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Bread, Sugar Cookies, Pillow Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies, Almond Cookies, Butter Cookies, and the list goes on! One of my favorite snacks she would make for us (when we were kids) was a plain old 'Eggo' Waffle with Vanilla Ice Cream on top, and her puppy Coco would get a little plate of ice cream as well. Nana Pat is the kind of grandma who spoils when she knows she shouldn't, we shared my first cup of coffee when I was twelve years old.

We have spent countless hours in the kitchen together, whether it be putting together a little snack (a toasted ‘Eggo’ waffle with vanilla ice cream), heating a TV dinner, or making endless amounts of banana bread. In the Christmas of 2017, I took a picture with Nana Pat before I left for college, while we were rolling out the dough for pillow cookies. My gift to her that Christmas was a framed copy of the photo below. The frame has her most famous quote at the bottom, "Those damn pillow cookies!". I can hear her saying it under her breath with her New York accent coming to life and a few extra choice words. Pillow cookies are neither her favorite cookies to make nor my favorite to eat. They're time-consuming and messy, and they'll make you want to curse. So what is my favorite Christmas cookie? Nana Pat's Sugar Cookies!

First, I love sugar cookies, they're my top three favorite cookies with Rainbow Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies in the rankings. Second, they can be so much fun to make! Making sugar cookies is a fun way to spend time in the kitchen with friends and family, and they're customizable for any occasion. During Christmas time Addie (Nana Pat) shapes them into candy canes and Christmas trees, I know it sounds crazy but the Christmas trees taste way better than the candy canes. [I know I'm not the only one that feels like this.] The best thing about these cookies is they freeze well, so the extra bag that Nana brings for me will (usually) last until New Year's!

Sugar Cookies:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup softened butter

• 1.5 cups sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Sift the flour with baking powder and salt, and set aside.

2. Set your mixer at medium speed, and beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

3. Stir in flour mixture until smooth.

4. Form the dough into a ball with a rubber spatula, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 400º.

6. When you are ready, divide the dough into four parts (this makes it easier and saves counter space).

7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface one part at a time to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick rectangles and hold the other pieces in the refrigerator while you do one at a time.

8. Before cutting out shapes, flour the cookie cutter of your choice, and then use a spatula to place the cookies 2 inches apart on a lined, ungreased cookie sheet.

9. Brush a light coat of egg wash over the individual cookies and add your sprinkles of choice. This is my favorite step!

10. Bake for 6-8 minutes until cookies are light brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the sheet immediately and let them cool on a cooling rack or parchment paper. If you leave the cookies on the baking sheet there is a higher chance of the bottoms burning!

Much love,

Mel